The album, released today, can be purchased using bitcoins from shop.50cent.com. Bitcoin payment service provider Bitpay is handling transactions, and Jackson's record label primarily will convert bitcoin payments into cash.

Technology is what's changing the business gotta get with it. I take money no matter if its coins or dollars.- 50 Cent

“We are excited to see high profile independent artists use bitcoin and 50 Cent's trail as an innovator is outstanding," the executive chairman of BitPay, Tony Gallippi, said in a statement.

The partnership is Bitpay's first arrangement with a musician.

In a Q&A on Reddit, Jackson said he is accepting bitcoin to keep current with the times.

“Technology is what’s changing the business gotta get with it,” he wrote. “I take money no matter if its coins or dollars.”

Fitty used to sell drugs. That's why he and bitcoin are a good fit. Bitcoin is currency used by drug dealers and mafia because the money cannot be traced, nobody knows who owns it. Bitcoin is not backed by any country or currency so there's no insurance against loss or value. Shady...

According to the new media director for G-Unit Records, Corentin Villemeur, accepting bitcoin fits with Jackson's narrative and history of being open to make money in as many ways as possible. Villemeur said he believes Jackson is the first major artist to openly accept bitcoin.

"We’re trying to be ahead of the curve and do new things," he said.

Future releases through G-Unit Records should also be purchasable with bitcoin, Villemeur said.

Throughout his career, Jackson has sold more than 30 million albums including the Grammy Award-nominated "Get Rich or Die Tryin," and "The Massacre."

In a rare demand that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles buy back as many as 193,000 flawed vehicles, the top U.S. traffic safety agency signaled a tougher stance on automakers that don't identify and quickly repair defects.

Industry giant Anthem Inc. reached a $54-billion deal to buy rival Cigna Corp., creating the country's biggest health insurer and triggering concerns about the immense power it could wield with employers and medical providers.